Hearing Loss; Tinnitus Symptom Or Cause?

Most tinnitus sufferers also experience hearing loss to a certain degree. Hearing loss can also cause tinnitus, as, although the noises within the body are present all the time, they are usually masked by the external noises of everyday life. When the ear cannot detect these, the brain tends to focus on the internal body noises, making these more apparent.

Suffering hearing loss can be frustrating as it affects our ability to communicate. This can cause stress, which can aggravate the symptoms of tinnitus.

A normal hearing aid may relieve the symptoms of tinnitus, as the sufferer will be able to hear more external and back ground noises, which will cause the tinnitus sounds to lose their prominence.

However, other sufferers find no improvement to their tinnitus in using a hearing aid alone, and some report that these can even amplify the tinnitus sounds. There is now a device available which combines a hearing aid and tinnitus masker together in a single unit. It is called a Tinnitus Instrument, and is worn like a standard hearing aid. It contains separate volume controls for hearing and tinnitus masking; the correct volume for hearing should always be set before the masking element is adjusted, as if the masking sound is too high hearing could be damaged further.

If you think that you are experiencing hearing loss, consult your doctor who will arrange for hearing tests to be carried out and appropriate treatment advised.